The recent appointment of new service chiefs raises the question of whether they will succeed where their predecessors failed, writes Wale Igbintade
Following their confirmation by the Senate, President Bola Tinubu last Thursday decorated the newly appointed Service Chiefs with their new ranks of four-star and three-star generals respectively, charging them to demonstrate urgency, courage, and innovation in addressing the nation’s security challenges and restoring lasting peace.
The new security helmsmen are: Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede; Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu; Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas; and Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Kelvin Aneke.
Tinubu reminded them that their task was not ceremonial but existential: to reclaim peace, contain the spread of armed groups, and protect the nation’s fragile stability. He warned against the rise of new armed groups in parts of the country, stressing that such threats must be swiftly contained.
The president used the occasion to again emphasise that security remains the foundation of national development, noting that no meaningful progress could occur without peace.
Tinubu ordered the new officers to “flush out’’ terrorists and other non-state actors in all zones of the country. He told them it was time to defeat the enemies, adding that Nigerians need results, not excuses.
The president gave the officers tips on how they could effortlessly achieve the task, saying, “Be pre-emptive, innovative and courageous.’’
He further said Nigerians are in a hurry to celebrate peace, describing security as an essential element without which everything is rendered meaningless. He further tasked the service chiefs to embrace technology-driven warfare, strengthen inter-agency collaboration, and stay ahead of evolving threats.
“Today’s ceremony is beyond the symbolism of decoration. It marks the beginning of our renewed effort to ensure the peace and security of all Nigerians. Each of you has been carefully selected for this critical task,” the president stated.
“Let’s stay ahead of those who seek to threaten our peace, freedom and stability,” he added. “We cannot allow the crisis that began in 2009 to persist any longer. It is time to defeat the enemies.”
The president also pledged his full support to the military leadership, assuring them of the resources required to fulfill their mandates.
Responding on behalf of the newly decorated officers, General Oluyede pledged the military’s readiness to deliver on the task, defend the Constitution and protect the nation’s democracy. He assured the military’s resolve to eliminate all forms of criminality and called on Nigerians to support the armed forces, stressing that security is a collective responsibility.
“We will do our utmost to ensure that we rid Nigeria of all forms of criminality and make Nigeria safer for socio-economic activities to thrive. Without the support of Nigerians, we can hardly achieve anything. So I urge citizens of all backgrounds to support us; together, we will make Nigeria safer,” he later told journalists.
But for many Nigerians, such words have become a familiar refrain. Over the years, successive administrations have made similar pledges, only for the violence to persist.
Nigeria’s insecurity situation has continued to worsen over the years. Reports indicate that nearly 5,000 people have been killed across the country this year alone. The North remains the most afflicted, though the ripple effects are now felt in the South.
While the country has been contending with Boko Haram and Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorist groups for over 15 years in the North-east geopolitical zone, a new group, Mahmuda, has come up in the North-central states of Kwara and Niger.
In parts of the North-west, the Lakurawa and Ansaru groups have gained notoriety, killing people and rustling cattle.
There is also al-Shabaab, whose members invaded Owo town in Ondo State and massacred over 40 worshippers.
In all of these, there are marauding bandits who pose a significant security threat. They are notorious for their brutality, as they attack villages, kidnap residents for ransom, and loot properties. All of these show how Nigeria’s map of insecurity keeps expanding.
This widespread instability has caused the displacement of entire communities, farmlands abandoned, and highways turned into danger zones. For travellers, road journeys that once represented adventure now evoke dread. For many families, each day brings news of abductions, raids, and killings.
Since 2009 when insecurity started in Nigeria, successive service chiefs have disappointed Nigerians. Each time a new set is appointed, many would be full of expectation and high hope that they would tackle the menace only for their hopes to be dashed.
The current set stand as symbols of yet another renewal of hope but the question now is whether they can break the cycle and achieve what their predecessors were unable to do.
Beyond the marching orders by the president, many have called on the political class, including President Tinubu, state governors and the local government to prioritise good governance as a solution to insecurity. They argued that for insecurity to be tackled, good governance, justice, and development at the grassroots level are crucial.
For instance, former Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa (rtd), while in office, had consistently reiterated the critical role of good governance in the fight against insurgency, citing poverty, hunger, and lack of infrastructure as key enablers for extremist recruitment. But this important was ignored, further exacerbating and escalating the problem.
In one of the fora, General Musa described dire conditions in many affected communities, where residents lack access to basic amenities such as roads, water, and electricity.
“For us to have a final solution (to insurgency), we must have the backing of good governance. Good governance is important, because when we get into some of these communities, a lot of them don’t even know anything about government. You go there, and there are no roads, no water and no electricity and as long as we have poverty and hunger, these are tools they use to bring them into the fold, and that is why they recruit so easily.
“I can tell you that on a weekly basis, we are taking them out, as many as possible. But the more you do that, the access they get from these other countries into Nigeria, movements of small arms and all into Nigeria.”
Musa also stressed the importance of functional local governments, effective governance by state leaders, and improved education systems to eliminate illiteracy.
“Our local governments must work well; our governors must work well. We must have food; we must have schools so that we would remove illiteracy. We also realised that their commanders are living larger than life across the border because they are surviving in a no-man’s land between Nigeria and these other neighbouring countries. That is why it is important we work with these countries,” he said, highlighting the need for grassroots development.
President Tinubu has pledged his full support to the new Service Chiefs — but Nigerians are not looking for more promises. Each day another life is lost marks a failure of leadership. Until government at all levels turns speeches into sustained action, insecurity will remain Nigeria’s most stubborn adversary. Nigerians cannot continue to perish in the hands of marauders while the president and other leaders sleep peacefully.
For now, the country watches and waits to see if this latest chapter in the fight for peace will finally be different.
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